OFFICIAL Stage 1 Results
Laurens De Jong
Hello, Vuelta a España Gamers!
STAGE Grade: B-
I rate today’s stage a B-, but it should probably be a C+. The last race report I wrote was stage 21 of the Giro d’Italia and this stage wasn’t much different. Except that there are far fewer quality sprinters in the Vuelta a España. I’m excited to start the 2025 Vuelta but this stage was forgettable.
Route: 2/5 GC: 1/5 Tactics: 1/5 Sprint: 3/5 Surprises: 0/5
“Can we place anyone at the same level as Mads Pedersen and Jasper Philipsen,” wondered the Belgian TV commentators. “No,” they concluded. That will be the theme of all three (?) bunch sprint stages.
Alpecin-Deceuninck executed the perfect lead-out for Philipsen. Any sprinter could have won from that position. They had, like I, also studied the roadbook. I was worried about the many ninety-degree turns and roundabouts in the final kilometers. Nothing bad happened, but I believe the roundabout with 1,900 meters to go was decisive. Alpecin-Deceuninck went left, Lidl-Trek and many others went right. The Alpecin riders came out of that roundabout with such an advantage that they could soft pedal for half a minute. If your lead-out train doesn’t have to pedal, you’re in great shape.
Pedersen was one of the riders on the other side of the roundabout. He never really recovered from that. I saw him having to go the long way around, fully in the wind, when Philipsen hadn’t even attacked yet. Then I saw him in the pack, not really trying anymore. Fourteenth place. Beaten.
I love bunch sprints. But we’ll only see a couple more. The Art of Sprinting has fallen victim to the My Grand Tour Is Harder Than Yours battle. The public, myself included, equate hard with climbing. The 2025 Vuelta a España climbs and climbs and climbs.
The 1977 edition of the Vuelta a España, twenty stages long, had twelve results that could be considered bunch sprints. Twelve! Freddy Maertens won most of them, thirteen stages altogether. A record that even Tadej Pogačar can’t break, unless someone comes up with a grand tour with nothing but summit finishes.
I don’t say I miss those days. Those Vueltas were unbelievably boring, and to finishin the top 10, or even win the general classification, wasn’t reserved to great riders. Being good was enough. Who remembers Faustino Rupérez (the 1980 winner) or Edy Schütz (eleventh in 1971)? But we’re now at the other extreme. Fifteen category 1 climbs, ten summit finishes. It’s going to be fun, but I don’t know if it’s the true spirit of grand tour cycling. We’ve already reached the point that most grand tours offer little opportunities for one-day racers (this year’s Tour de France excluded). What’s next? Sprinters? Time trial specialists?
Something to ponder in the next few days as we start climbing.
Elia Viviani was a sprinter just after the peak of the supernatural bunch sprints in the “Lance Armstrong era,” if you know what I mean. Mario Cippolini had just wrapped up his career after winning 42 stages in the Giro d’Italia, most of them liberally aided by trips to the pharmacy. Viviani won his first pro cycling race in 2010, and his first grand tour stages in 2018. Four in the Giro and three in the Vuelta.
That first win in 2010 was stage 7 of the Tour of Turkiye. In 2024 he won nothing, but this year he won stage 7 of the Tour of Turkiye.
He’s 36 and he’s not winning. He rides for Lotto, not even a World Tour team. He’s here because the organizers awarded Lotto a wild card entry. You put Viviani on your team out of respect for the old days. Team JB did that. And somehow, Viviani finished fourth today.
He was hidden under the trees, like most of the peloton, making it hard to figure out what happened. But in the wake of Philipsen’s demolition, he was a couple of bike lengths behind the top three, but several more bike lengths ahead of the rest.
It’s not just legs that get you to the front. I’m sure Viviani used his experience to find the right gap at the right time. Fourth place. Respect.
And useful UCI points for Team Lotto.
Watch the final kilometer HERE.
Watch the official La Vuelta highlights HERE.
Watch the more informative TNT Sports highlights HERE.
Read the TNT Sports report HERE.
First of all: we have twelve juniors playing our game. I want to thank all the parents who support their children’s interest in our beautiful sport of cycling.
Most teams have understood the very few sprint opportunities in the 2025 Vuelta a España and left the sprinters at home. Those who picked one more sprinter than just Philipsen and Pedersen did well today. The rest more or less tied. Look at this.
In first place today, thanks to Ethan Vernon, were Team Samuel. Leading every category, and five riders in the Top-25, they were a Philipsen distance ahead of the rest.
Tied for second place were Team Charles and Team Dominic. They have nearly identical teams now, the only difference being Jorgenson on Team Charles versus Sepp Kuss on Team Dominic. Both selected Casper van Uden. Both ended up with five riders in the Top-25, just like Team Samuel.
Next we have no fewer than four teams tied for fourth. Team Ansel, Team Hugo, Team Sam, and Team Josh.
In eighth were Team Grace, who got there the hard way. They did not select Mads Pedersen, but had van Uden and Tom Pidcock instead.
Ninth were Team Tadej, they had Pedersen and Jake Stewart but not Pidcock. Tenth were Team Amalia, without Pedersen but they had Pidcock.
Team Will* and Team Sylvia missed the boat in eleventh and twelfth, respectively. Team Sylvia did it with zero points. They went to the extreme measure of selecting no sprinters. Therefore no points. They’ll be laughing in the mountains, though, when their riders start to score points.
Sunday’s race is flat until it isn’t. The first summit finish takes us up the Limone, 22.8 kilometers at 3.2%. But it keeps getting steeper. The final five kilometers are 6.5%, the final kilometer even 8.3%. The roadbook marks the start of the climb 9.8 kilometers from the finish, from there it’s 5.1%.
It’s a horrible climb. We should see right away who the general classification contenders are, and it’s logical to assume Jonas Vingegaard will win the stage. There could be a breakaway, and someone like Tom Pidcock could do well, but if you’re Team Visma-Lease A Bike, then why wait. Just drill it from the start and let Vingegaard fly up the final climb.
Standings after stage 1:
|
Rank |
Name |
Points |
|
1 |
Team Samuel* |
147 |
|
2 |
Team Charles* |
109 |
|
Team Dominic* |
109 |
|
|
4 |
Team Ansel* |
79 |
|
Team Hugo* |
79 |
|
|
Team Sam* |
79 |
|
|
Team Josh* |
79 |
|
|
8 |
Team Grace* |
77 |
|
9 |
Team Tadej* |
69 |
|
10 |
Team Amalia* |
67 |
|
11 |
Team Will* |
17 |
|
12 |
Team Sylvia* |
0 |
Standings after stage 1 (including adults):
|
Rank |
Name |
Points |
|
1 |
Team Samuel* |
147 |
|
2 |
Team John |
127 |
|
3 |
Team Julie |
110 |
|
4 |
Team Charles* |
109 |
|
Team Dominic* |
109 |
|
|
6 |
Team Feng |
99 |
|
7 |
Team Wes |
87 |
|
8 |
Team Chuck |
82 |
|
9 |
Team Ansel* |
79 |
|
Team Doug |
79 |
|
|
Team Kent |
79 |
|
|
Team Sam* |
79 |
|
|
Team Hugo* |
79 |
|
|
Team Kari |
79 |
|
|
Team Josh* |
79 |
|
|
Team Corsa |
79 |
|
|
Team Craig |
79 |
|
|
Team Mitchinson |
79 |
|
|
19 |
Team Grace* |
77 |
|
20 |
Team Tadej* |
69 |
|
21 |
Team Amalia* |
67 |
|
Team Adam |
67 |
|
|
23 |
Team Laurens |
62 |
|
Team Rob |
62 |
|
|
Team Amelia |
62 |
|
|
Team Joe |
62 |
|
|
27 |
Team JB |
46 |
|
28 |
Team Kate |
17 |
|
Team Corey |
17 |
|
|
Team Will* |
17 |
|
|
31 |
Team Liz |
13 |
|
32 |
Team Sylvia* |
0 |
Complete breakdown of points from stage 1:
|
Name |
STAGE RESULTS |
RED JERSEY |
GREEN JERSEY |
WHITE JERSEY |
POINTS/CLASS |
TOTAL |
CUM. TOTAL |
|
Team Amalia* |
52 |
10 |
5 |
0 |
15 |
67 |
67 |
|
Team Ansel* |
64 |
10 |
5 |
0 |
15 |
79 |
79 |
|
Team Charles* |
93 |
11 |
5 |
0 |
16 |
109 |
109 |
|
Team Dominic* |
93 |
11 |
5 |
0 |
16 |
109 |
109 |
|
Team Grace* |
62 |
10 |
5 |
0 |
15 |
77 |
77 |
|
Team Hugo* |
64 |
10 |
5 |
0 |
15 |
79 |
79 |
|
Team Josh* |
64 |
10 |
5 |
0 |
15 |
79 |
79 |
|
Team Sam* |
64 |
10 |
5 |
0 |
15 |
79 |
79 |
|
Team Samuel* |
113 |
20 |
9 |
5 |
34 |
147 |
147 |
|
Team Sylvia* |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Team Tadej* |
54 |
10 |
5 |
0 |
15 |
69 |
69 |
|
Team Will* |
17 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
17 |
17 |
Complete breakdown of points from stage 1 (including adults):
|
52 |
10 |
5 |
0 |
15 |
67 |
67 |
|
|
Team Amalia* |
52 |
10 |
5 |
0 |
15 |
67 |
67 |
|
Team Amelia |
47 |
10 |
5 |
0 |
15 |
62 |
62 |
|
Team Ansel* |
64 |
10 |
5 |
0 |
15 |
79 |
79 |
|
Team Charles* |
93 |
11 |
5 |
0 |
16 |
109 |
109 |
|
Team Chuck |
67 |
10 |
5 |
0 |
15 |
82 |
82 |
|
Team Corey |
17 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
17 |
17 |
|
Team Corsa |
64 |
10 |
5 |
0 |
15 |
79 |
79 |
|
Team Craig |
64 |
10 |
5 |
0 |
15 |
79 |
79 |
|
Team Dominic* |
93 |
11 |
5 |
0 |
16 |
109 |
109 |
|
Team Doug |
64 |
10 |
5 |
0 |
15 |
79 |
79 |
|
Team Feng |
83 |
11 |
5 |
0 |
16 |
99 |
99 |
|
Team Grace* |
62 |
10 |
5 |
0 |
15 |
77 |
77 |
|
Team Hugo* |
64 |
10 |
5 |
0 |
15 |
79 |
79 |
|
Team JB |
41 |
4 |
1 |
0 |
5 |
46 |
46 |
|
Team Joe |
47 |
10 |
5 |
0 |
15 |
62 |
62 |
|
Team John |
94 |
19 |
9 |
5 |
33 |
127 |
127 |
|
Team Josh* |
64 |
10 |
5 |
0 |
15 |
79 |
79 |
|
Team Julie |
77 |
19 |
9 |
5 |
33 |
110 |
110 |
|
Team Kari |
64 |
10 |
5 |
0 |
15 |
79 |
79 |
|
Team Kate |
17 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
17 |
17 |
|
Team Kent |
64 |
10 |
5 |
0 |
15 |
79 |
79 |
|
Team Laurens |
47 |
10 |
5 |
0 |
15 |
62 |
62 |
|
Team Liz |
13 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
13 |
13 |
|
Team Mitchinson |
64 |
10 |
5 |
0 |
15 |
79 |
79 |
|
Team Rob |
47 |
10 |
5 |
0 |
15 |
62 |
62 |
|
Team Sam* |
64 |
10 |
5 |
0 |
15 |
79 |
79 |
|
Team Samuel* |
113 |
20 |
9 |
5 |
34 |
147 |
147 |
|
Team Sylvia* |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Team Tadej* |
54 |
10 |
5 |
0 |
15 |
69 |
69 |
|
Team Wes |
71 |
11 |
5 |
0 |
16 |
87 |
87 |
|
Team Will* |
17 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
17 |
17 |
-Laurens.